My attention span has been slashed by recent illness, so focusing on one subject has become, well, really hard. Instead, I've compiled a brief list of some of the happenings around the blue sphere that have ensnared my tweaked mind, and I've injected some Dryden Time into them.
A good decision: The National Rifle Association has decided not to hold its 2007 convention in Columbus, after deeming the city council's decision to ban automatic weapons -with pistol grips and detachable magazines -a fascist intrusion on personal liberties.
If I were a citizen of the 614 area code, I'd be doing cartwheels in the streets to celebrate my freedom from gun nuts. In a statement as to why the NRA pulled out of the city, executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said, When freedom comes back to Columbus
we will come back to Columbus. I foresee an increase in the movement for freedom's permanent exile from the state's capital.
Worst event: The man who killed Theo Van Gogh has been sentenced to life imprisonment in Holland. Mohammed Bouyeri brutally killed Van Gogh because his film, Submission negatively portrayed the treatment of women in an extremist Islamic household. I consider myself to be a fairly accepting person of other cultures. However, I never will be able to empathize with the fanatic Islamic approach to treating women like property; and certainly not with the maniac who killed a man for making a film showing this deplorable treatment. Bouyeri is a disgrace to all mankind, whatever culture, religion or creed its members subscribe to.
Best event: On Tuesday morning, I eagerly awaited the launch of the first American-manned mission to space since the tragic loss of the crew of Columbia. Shuttle Discovery charged into the sky as hundreds of people watched. It was exhilarating to get the exploration feeling flowing through my veins, and to imagine future missions going deeper into the unknown. Exploration is one of humanity's most important endeavors, and our resilience in the face of adversity allows us to continue to thrive.
And, you have got to be kidding me: In Fairfield, Ohio, unidentified people removed flags from the family home of a soldier killed in Iraq, placed them under a car in the driveway and set them on fire. In a proper response to the horrible act, friends and neighbors proceeded to place hundreds of new flags into the yard. I thought people had figured out after Vietnam that soldiers fight wars only if their governments start.
As somebody who has disagreed with this war ever since I saw the night-vision shots of Baghdad being bombed as part of the Shock and Awe I believe my hatred of this war is as strong as any other opponent of the war. However, I find it inconceivable that anyone could be so calloused and disrespectful towards a family grieving the loss of a child.
-Eric Dryden is a senior specialized studies major. Send him an email at ed890402@ohiou.edu.
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Eric Dryden
